This week has been interesting to say the least.
For the last six months we’ve been observing pandemic guidelines. Now to be honest, I rather like the whole social distancing part. It’s nice not having someone crowd you at the checkout, so waiting 6 feet away is actually preferable.
But then, just after Labor Day came the wildfires. Oregon was hit with a series of blazes on the west side of the Cascades. Large fires, unlike anything that side of the state has seen.
The result … air quality at hazardous levels.
For the past week, or more, we’ve been inside, unable to spend any time outdoors. There have been small breaks with the worst of the smoke coming late afternoon and evening.
An eerie haze hangs over the landscape. Face covers, mandatory for interior travel, are now necessary outside as well.
Just taking Tip for a walk brings tears to our eyes.
Friday finally brought a shift in the weather. It rained for the first time in weeks. Wind direction shifted and moved dense smoke out of the Willamette Valley and into Central Oregon. Hopefully it will keep moving east and while the fires still burn the really bad smoke / air quality is on the way out.
In the meantime, we are getting caught up on reading, cleaning and home organizing projects.